History Fridge / UnseenAcademicals

'''As a Fridge subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy.]] Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''

* Glenda asks a waiter if [[ActuallyNotAVampire Vetinari]] [[TheTeetotaler does not drink wine]] or [[IDoNotDrinkWine does not drink... wine]], and the waiter's next line mentions that Vetinari has "ears everywhere" (ie., spies, even though [[LiteralistSnarking Glenda pretends to interpret it differently]]). Later on, Vetinari offers Margolotta "some more... wine", which probably isn't just a coincidence. (See also: in ''{{Literature/Snuff}}'', someone says something to Vimes about how Vetinari sends him to "break wind in the halls of the mighty", which Vetinari [[BrickJoke refers to later on]] despite not having been there. ''[[ParanoiaFuel Ears everywhere]]''.)
* The RunningGag about how "a leopard can't change his shorts" gets a ''major'' work-out in this book, mostly in regard to [[OurOrcsAreDifferent Mr. Nutt]]. Glenda even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s its absurdity ("Has anyone ever seen a leopard wearing shorts?") The thing is, this sort of thing is very much TruthInTelevision. There are plenty of real-life sayings that have been distorted through multiple retellings ("gild the lily", "the proof is in the pudding" and "possession is nine-tenths of the law" being just three examples), or where linguistic drift has caused the original meaning to be lost (e.g. "the exception that proves the rule"). Indeed, the saying may have originally been "a leopard cannot change his ''spots''", as it is on Roundworld, and it's just been mangled over time -- and yet, as Glenda observes (and, again, as frequently happens in real life), people continue to repeat it as though it were inarguable sacred wisdom, never stopping to realize that it's actually nonsense.

* If the [[spoiler: orcs]] seem over-designed for their racial purpose as a cannon fodder slave race, remember that their creator was most likely assisted by an [[TheIgor Igor]]. Igors have a tendency of exceeding expectations, and when the marthter decided to create a race of superior soldiers, his Igor probably put more thought into what makes a good soldier than he did.
* The way Her Ladyship drove Nutt so very hard to teach him to be worthy, and sent the Sisters to watch him, makes sense if you recall that [[spoiler: she's the founder of the Uberwald Temperance Movement, and a reformed vampire herself. She knows how a vampire's b-word-thirst constantly gnaws at them, pressuring them to prey on people if they don't keep their minds occupied and have others watching them for signs of backsliding, and she mistakenly assumed that orcs' aggressive impulses might work the same way.]]

* The RunningGag about how "a leopard can't change his shorts" gets a ''major'' work-out in this book, mostly in regard to [[spoiler:[[OurOrcsAreDifferent Mr. Nutt]]]]. Glenda even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s its absurdity ("Has anyone ever seen a leopard wearing shorts?") The thing is, this sort of thing is very much TruthInTelevision. There are plenty of real-life sayings that have been distorted through multiple retellings ("gild the lily", "the proof is in the pudding" and "possession is nine-tenths of the law" being just three examples), or where linguistic drift has caused the original meaning to be lost (e.g. "the exception that proves the rule"). Indeed, the saying may have originally been "a leopard cannot change his ''spots''", as it is on Roundworld, and it's just been mangled over time -- and yet, as Glenda observes (and, again, as frequently happens in real life), people continue to repeat it as though it were inarguable sacred wisdom, never stopping to realize that it's actually nonsense.

* Near the beginning of the book, Mr. Nutt's boss assures him that while the Hunting of the Megapode looks like a bunch of wizards goofing around, it's probably actually a ritual vitally important to the safety and security of the cosmos, and in a way, he's right: Ponder Stibbons is looking for ways to keep Archchancellor Ridcully occupied and take his mind off the recent departure of the Dean of Pentacles. As earlier books have demonstrated, the only thing worse than a bored wizard is a bored, ''angry'' wizard. We saw how tense things were between Ridcully and the former Dean when they were arguing over the Archchancellor's Hat; if Ponder hadn't been able to find meaningless but fun activities to keep Ridcully occupied and cool his temper, things might have escalated to the wizard equivalent of Defcon 1 before Stibbons could intervene.

* The RunningGag about how "a leopard can't change his shorts" gets a ''major'' work-out in this book, mostly in regard to [[spoiler:[[OurOrcsAreDifferent Mr. Nutt]]]]. Glenda even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s its absurdity ("Has anyone ever seen a leopard wearing shorts?") Note that there are plenty of real-life sayings that have been distorted through multiple retellings ("gild the lily", "the proof is in the pudding" and "possession is nine-tenths of the law" being just three examples), or where linguistic drift has caused the original meaning to be lost (e.g. "the exception that proves the rule"). Perhaps the saying was originally "a leopard cannot change his ''spots''", as it is on Roundworld, and it's just been mangled over time -- and yet, as Glenda observes (and, again, as frequently happens in real life), people continue to repeat it as though it were inarguable sacred wisdom, never stopping to realize that it's actually nonsense.

* The RunningGag about how "a leopard can't change his shorts" gets a ''major'' work-out in this book, mostly in regard to [[spoiler:[[OurOrcsAreDifferent Mr. Nutt]]]]. Glenda even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s its absurdity ("Has anyone ever seen a leopard wearing shorts?") Note that there are plenty of real-life sayings that have been distorted through multiple retellings ("gild the lily", "the proof is in the pudding" and "possession is nine-tenths of the law" being just three examples) so it's possible that the saying was originally "a leopard cannot change his ''spots''", as it is on Roundworld, and it's just been mangled over time -- and yet, as Glenda observes (and, again, as frequently happens in real life), people continue to repeat it as though it were inarguable sacred wisdom, never stopping to realize that it's actually nonsense.

* The RunningGag about how "a leopard can't change his shorts" gets a ''major'' work-out in this book, mostly in regard to [[spoiler:[[OurOrcsAreDifferent Mr. Nutt]]]]. Glenda even {{lampshade|Hanging}}s its absurdity ("Has anyone ever seen a leopard wearing shorts?") Note that there are plenty of real-life sayings that have been distorted through multiple retellings ("gild the lily", "the proof is in the pudding" and "possession is nine-tenths of the law" being just three examples) so it's possible that the saying was originally "a leopard cannot change his ''spots''", as it is on Roundworld, and it's just been mangled over time.

* Glenda asks a waiter if [[ActuallyNotAVampire Vetinari]] [[TheTeetotaler does not drink wine]] or [[IDoNotDrinkWine does not drink... wine]], and the waiter's next line mentions that Vetinari has "ears everywhere" (ie., spies, even though [[LiteralistSnarking Glenda pretends to interpret it differently]]). Later on, Vetinari offers Margolotta "some more... wine", which probably isn't just a coincidence. (See also: in ''{{Literature/Snuff}}'', someone says something to Vimes about how Vetinari sends him to "break wind in the halls of the mighty", which Vetinari [[BrickJoke refers to later on]] despite not having been there. ''[[ParanoiaFuel Ears everywhere]]''.)

* Rincewind plays the part of the Megapode in the Megapode-hunting ritual. Even though he's back in the UU and among friends, he still ends up being chased.

* Near the beginning of the book, Mr. Nutt's boss assures him that while the Hunting of the Megapode looks like a bunch of wizards goofing around, it's probably actually a ritual vitally important to the safety and security of the cosmos, and in a way, he's right: Ponder Stibbons is looking for ways to keep Arch-chancellor Ridcully occupied and take his mind off the recent departure of the Dean of Pentacles. As earlier books have demonstrated, the only thing worse than a bored wizard is a bored, ''angry'' wizard. We saw how tense things were between Ridcully and the former Dean when they were arguing over the Arch-chancellor's Hat; if Ponder hadn't been able to find meaningless but fun activities to keep Ridcully occupied and cool his temper, things might have escalated to the wizard equivalent of Defcon 1 before Stibbons could intervene.

** Glenda's second job selling "beauty aids" to female trolls that help them grow lichen seems odd, since ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'' says that male trolls ''disapprove'' of females having lichen. However, the exact quote is "der boys say bald is modest". Couple that with the fact troll "strippers" put clothes ''on'', and it appears that a female troll covered in lichen is the equivalent of a human woman wearing very revealing clothing.

* Glenda asks a waiter if [[ActuallyNotAVampire Vetinari]] [[TheTeetotaler does not drink wine]] or [[IDoNotDrinkWine does not drink... wine]], and the waiter's next line mentions that Vetinari has "ears everywhere" (ie., spies, even though [[LiteralistSnarking Glenda pretends to interpret it differently]]). Later on, Vetinari offers Margolotta "some more... wine", which probably isn't just a coincidence. (See also: in ''{{Discworld/Snuff}}'', someone says something to Vimes about how Vetinari sends him to "break wind in the halls of the mighty", which Vetinari [[BrickJoke refers to later on]] despite not having been there. ''[[ParanoiaFuel Ears everywhere]]''.)

%% This isn't Troper Tales or a forum. Refrain from first person entries, speculation, and "replying" to entries. RepairDontRespond is in effect here as much as any other page.

* Near the beginning of the book, Mr. Nutt's boss assures him that while the Hunting of the Megapode looks like a bunch of wizards goofing around, it's probably actually a ritual vitally important to the safety and security of the cosmos, and [[AccidentallyAccurate in a way, he's right]]: Ponder Stibbons is looking for ways to keep Arch-chancellor Ridcully occupied and take his mind off the recent departure of the Dean of Pentacles. As earlier books have demonstrated, the only thing worse than a bored wizard is a bored, ''angry'' wizard. We saw how tense things were between Ridcully and the former Dean when they were arguing over the Arch-chancellor's Hat; if Ponder hadn't been able to find meaningless but fun activities to keep Ridcully occupied and cool his temper, things might have escalated to the wizard equivalent of Defcon 1 before Stibbons could intervene.

* At the end, when Nutt addresses the crowd after the game, he stands with his arms crossed. This is how Glenda stands when she's putting up a stern, uncompromising front. Nutt copies other's mannerisms to fit in, so he learned the crossed-arms pose from her.

* In the latter half of the book, it's mentioned that sometimes Mr Nutt looks big and sometimes he looks small, but it's somehow subtly conveyed well before it's actually spelled out. Sometimes he comes across like a small childlike UglyCute critter and sometimes he comes across as basically shaped like an adult human, so by the time it comes up that this is an explicit ability of his, you're like, "I ''thought'' so!"

Brilliance
* When I first read ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'', I wasn't sure about Glenda's second job selling "beauty aids" to female trolls that help them grow lichen, since ''Discworld/MonstrousRegiment'' says that male trolls ''disapprove'' of females having lichen. Then I reread MR, and the exact quote was "der boys say bald is modest". Couple that with the fact troll "strippers" put clothes ''on'', and it appears that a female troll covered in lichen is the equivalent of a human woman wearing very revealing clothing. DaibhidC

** Or, troll fashion in (noted backwater) Borogravia is well behind Ankh-Morpork's avant-garde. It's mentioned several times in recent books that human culture is heavily influencing other races, including their beauty standards and gender roles.
* If you look closely, the ''really'' important thing about the big game between the Academicals and Ankh-Morpork United in ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'' is this: it's all about the best of the new football (Trev Likely and Mr. Nutt) beating the worst of the old football (Andy Shank and his flunkies) in a fair fight, despite the cheating and brutality of the latter. In fact, since Discworld runs on the TheoryOfNarrativeCausality, a RagtagBunchOfMisfits is almost ''guaranteed'' to beat [[OpposingSportsTeam an antagonistic rival team]], something of which Vetinari was [[GenreSavvy almost certainly aware]].
* Some people might complain that Andy Shank from ''Discworld/UnseenAcademicals'' is built up to be some kind of half-savage street monster that has Trev Likely terrified, but [[OffstageVillainy most of what we see him do in the book]] is posturing and threats; the worst thing he does in ''UA'' is stab Carter in the face for back-talking, knee-cap Macarona and Riducully during the BigGame, and [[GroinAttack try to kick Trev in the nads]] after the game. Then again, ''that's the point of Andy''. He's a bully and a nutter, but he's still only human, and not the invincible beast Trev initially thinks he is. There might even be a bit of a SmallNameBigEgo thing going on with Andy, who thinks of himself as the terror of Dimwell when he's just another low-level psycho who gets his arse kicked by ''real'' tough guys like [[BewareTheNiceOnes Mr. Nutt]] and [[BewareTheSillyOnes Pepe]].

Horror
* Micromail proves to be very beneficial for the protagonists in this book, and is accessible exclusively in Ankh-Morpork. But come ''Discworld/RaisingSteam'', the Grags have gotten hold of it...

* Near the beginning of the book, Mr. Nutt's boss assures him that while the Hunting of the Megapode looks like a bunch of wizards goofing around, it's probably actually a ritual vitally important to the safety and security of the cosmos, and [[AccidentallyAccurate in a way, he's right]]: Ponder Stibbons is looking for ways to keep Arch-chancellor Ridcully occupied and take his mind off the recent departure of the Dean of Pentacles. As earlier books have demonstrated, the only thing worse than a bored wizard is a bored, ''angry'' wizard. We saw how tense things were between Ridcully and the former Dean when they were arguing over the Arch-chancellor's Hat; if Ponder hadn't been able to find meaningless but fun activities to keep Ridcully occupied and cool his temper, things might have escalated to the wizard equivalent of Defcon 1 before Stibbons could intervene.